Numb. That’s how she felt, and not just physically, as she stared at the rectangular space where Wallflower’s car had been parked. Gray, dirty slush and half melted sleet outlined tire marks that headed out of the neighborhood, away from the bare spot that was quickly becoming coated with what the weatherman called a ‘wintery mix.’ Closing her eyes and counting to twenty did not change the view; it only gave the wind time to blow harder and send needles of cold straight through her body, the wet, mud stained clothing doing nothing to stop it. The car was gone, and so was Wallflower. This was definitely the right spot—she had noticed the mailbox across the street when they’d parked earlier. How could she not, decorated as it was with a cheery plastic snowman perched atop it, defiant of cultural norms in this slice of mundane suburbia with its rainbow colored scarf and matching flag attached to one faux twig hand? Before, she’d smiled secretly to herself, heartened by the display, but now…

Given everything, the color seemed less bright and cheerful, washed out, the flag now coated with a thin layer of frozen water, limp and dreary. It felt like it served more as a reminder to her own mistakes that afternoon, than of any kind of proud declaration.

Wallflower had been upset enough that she drove off without her, leaving Twilight there in the cold to find another way home. She didn't even wait a minute—Twilight couldn’t have been more than twenty or thirty seconds behind Wallflower, having taken that long to snap out of the stunned shock at her friend abandoning her with parting words that sounded…ugly and harsh, somehow dirty, like the idea of her calling Sunset was worse filth than the mud on her clothes.

Was…was that it? Was it her admission of dating Sunset that upset Wallflower so badly? It didn't seem to be whatever sent her to the ground and got her clothes muddy and soaked—Wallflower had been concerned, but…that didn't seem like it was it. And they hadn’t talked much after their disastrous conversation in the woods.

It stung her a little that her friend had been more okay with the idea of Twilight doing drugs than having a meaningful relationship with Sunset…but was it really because it was Sunset, or…was it even simpler—because it was a girl? Intellectually, Twilight knew what homophobia looked like, had seen it thrown around on television and movies, talked about it with Cadence, even heard it whispered by members of her extended family…but she’d never quite been on the receiving end of it, and there was a surreal, disorienting sense to her brain, like she couldn't quite figure out of it was real or just some kind of misunderstanding.

She was used to the unpleasant feeling that came when she realized she was missing some important social cue and it was upsetting people. This…wasn’t that, and it was far worse than that had ever been, a gnawing sense of something very wrong and that she should be trying to find the answer on top of the normal frustration and…not quite embarrassment, leaving her feeling extremely agitated and unsettled. Her stomach twisted and taking full breaths in the icy air was getting harder and harder, the more she thought herself in circles, trying to understand what had set the whole chain of events off and why Wallflower was so upset with her about someone she really didn't know at all.

For a moment, Twilight was overcome with an aching need to call Sunset and beg her to help. Sunset would understand what she was feeling and be able to explain it in a way that didn't leave Twilight feeling ignorant and confused and ashamed. She might even know how to fix it, to mend the situation or at least mitigate the damage, and even if she couldn't—or wouldn't, given her and Wallflower’s apparent mutual dislike—she would at least be able to hug Twilight and take her home to someplace warm and safe, where sleet and freezing cold rain and bits of ice weren't pelting her and the wind wasn't going to make her teeth chatter…

…Except she couldn't call Sunset. Twilight had promised her space on Saturday, and this was only Tuesday. What would it say if she called her now, begging and pleading for Sunset to drop everything she was doing to come help her deal with a problem? That would be her problems once more steamrolling over Sunset’s emotions…and her fiery haired paramour would want an explanation about what had occurred. Which would mean explaining why she was even here in the first place, why she was wet and muddy and upset…and that meant bringing up Wallflower, which she felt might…

No, she corrected herself, it would hurt Sunset that Twilight had brought Wallflower to the grounds of CHS, even if the whole thing had been more a necessity because Wallflower contaminated her previous samples than any actual desire on her part. Not to mention it felt like a form of betrayal to admit that her botanically inclined friend now knew more than her girlfriend and preferred lab-partner about the project that Sunset already had reservations about.

Another thought wiggled into her brain, making Twilight bite her lip and twist her hands anxiously enough that she could detect discomfort from the actions. What if Sunset did feel like this was a betrayal, and needed even more time apart, leaving Twilight to stew in yet more worries and ‘what ifs?’ Or worse, what if she—

Twilight cut that thought off, hard, in a desperate bid to avoid panicking. Sunset would come back over, and they would talk. She had promised Twilight she would, and Sunset had never broken a promise to the dark haired girl. Promises were important to Sunset—she was sparing with them and took them seriously, and with what she knew of her past, Twilight wondered if broken promises had been a facet of Sunset’s childhood.

Trying to take deeper breaths, Twilight’s resolve hardened. That was an even more important reason why she couldn't call Sunset right now—while she herself hadn’t used the word ‘promise,’ she had in a sense meant it as a promise to give her girlfriend the time and space she needed to sort her own feelings out. All things considered, she couldn't be responsible for breaking any more promises to Sunset, not after she’d broken one Friday and thrown her past in her face like that.

She’d already started walking, if for no reason other than to generate some warmth in her legs to counteract the biting wind, and she rubbed her arms through the damp hoodie sleeves, and tried to figure out who she could call. Her parents were the obvious answer—her mother would come get her in a heartbeat, and be very concerned about her state too. However, that came with its own problems, one of which came back to Sunset. When Twilight had mentioned to her parents on Saturday about Sunset needing space, her father had simply nodded, and acknowledged that he had already known, explaining Sunset had talked with him that morning over coffee. He also mentioned that her girlfriend had insisted that he’d contact her if anything happened.

Twilight wasn’t stupid. She knew that her mother would take one look at her physical state, her location, and her emotional distress, and expect an explanation of what had happened to leave her like this, when she had told her mother she would be working on her project after school. Most of it would be okay, other than Velvet being unhappy that Twilight hadn't let her know she wouldn't be at Crystal Prep to work on her project like had been implied…but not the stuff with Wallflower. Not with how Wallflower had ditched her in winter weather almost two miles from her home in a neighborhood on the far side of CHS. That would mean explaining exactly why Wallflower had been upset enough to leave her, which meant talking about both her strange collapse behind the school, and the conversation in the woods.

The conversation…where she’d accidentally outed herself and Sunset…because she had assumed Wallflower had already guessed. She let out a whimper, hugging herself tighter. That had been a disaster…and it was everything Twilight had always feared about coming out to others. There was no way she wanted to go through a second tortuous conversation, and she was not ready yet to tell her parents about her sexuality yet. She certainly did not want to come out to them under duress in a conversation about a fight with a friend. When she told them, she wanted it to be in a controlled environment, in a controlled setting, with Sunset by her side to help her have the courage to say the words.

Her teeth were chattering steadily now, almost painfully so, and she clenched her jaw firmly to stop them as she made up her mind to not call her parents. That would be as bad as calling Sunset, albeit for different reasons… The dark haired teen focused on putting one foot in front of the other, trying to school her thoughts into some kind of order. She needed to be methodical, but it was hard in the face of the panic that was wearing away at her after almost an hour now of fighting to push it down, to prevent it from overwhelming her and making her breakdown where she stood.

Who else could she call? Twilight forced the thought through determinedly, ignoring the way her breath was still short and fast, and every beat of her heart was painful, feeling like it was trying to tear free of her or choke her or something equally impossible but painful.

Shining?

No, Shining would require the same explanation as her parents, and he would be even more vocal in his anger at Wallflower…and he didnt know she was interested in girls yet either, unless Cady had told him—and she’d promised Twilight she wouldn't tell. Plus he was at work, and that would mean his partner might learn that she had been trespassing in the woods behind a school she didn't attend. While Shining himself would chastise her, his partner might not be so lenient.

That left Cadence…and she knew without a doubt that her sister-figure would not be comfortable keeping this from her parents, not with the way the situation had played out. Cady would absolutely see Wallflower leaving Twilight with no ride like that as a ‘dangerous and unsafe situation’. That would mean she would be forced to tell them about how Wallflower had acted…

Twilight stumbled to a stop, unable to keep going as the panic crashed into her hard enough to almost overwhelm her completely. Wallflower was her friend, and Wallflower had…had… The teenager shook in the brief, partial shelter offered by an awning outside of a closed florist shop, trying to fight the thoughts and losing. Wallflower had abandoned her to the cold and wet, and the only logical reason for it was because she had found out Twilight was dating Sunset, since that was the only thing of note the whole afternoon that had put them at all at odds as far as she could see…

What if Wallflower told? She said she wouldn't but that didn't mean anything really, especially not with something like this. Not when it could slip out so easily in a fit of temper or be mentioned so offhandedly in all kinds of circumstances, and Wallflower did know who all of Twilight’s worst bullies were, or she could also tell their old friends who weren't around any more, and she didn't have any idea how Lyra or Moondancer would react to learning she was a lesbian…or that she was dating Sunset, who it sounded like may have run afoul of Lyra during the previous school year, before Twilight had met her…and if they found out, would it get out to Canterlot High that Sunset Shimmer was dating a girl from their biggest rival school? Would Sunset be subjected to bullying and harassment over it? Her school had certainly turned on her quick enough before over—

“Twilight Sparkle?”

She’d been so lost in her own cascade of increasingly terrifying thoughts that she hadn't heard the car pull up nearby, or the footsteps of someone getting out of it. So the male voice, full of concern and far closer to her than she expected made her cry out as she jumped in surprise, half stumbling as she whirled to face whoever it might be.

Concerned blue eyes peered at her. “I thought it was you,” Flash said, keeping a few feet away from her—well outside her personal space, she numbly realized. His voice sounded far away due to the roaring in her ears, but she could tell it was meant to be calming. “…are you okay? It's freezing and you look terrible.”

Twilight wanted to answer, but she couldn’t get the words past her throat. All she could do was stare at him, her mind recognizing him from the bookstore. Sunset’s friend…he was Sunset’s friend…and something else gnawed at her, something the amber skinned girl had admitted to her in private…but what had it been?

The memory swam up, distorted and mostly filled with the taste of chocolate and Sunset’s downcast eyes full of guilt, struggling against getting lost in the riotous noise of her mind. All she got was a snippet, but it was enough. “…he’s a lot like I imagine Shining was in high school…”

Sunset trusted Flash, that was it. Maybe not like she trusted Twilight…but enough to say hello to him with Twilight in the bookstore, and enough that she’d been willing to be places alone with him during her bad times…and if Sunny trusted him, thought he was like Shining, who Twilight trusted completely…maybe she could trust Flash just a little? He had been nice to her before, and he had the same look on his face now that Shining got when he was worried about her.

The sound that made its way from her throat wasn't any kind of real words, just a gasping, keening whine of distress. It was all she could get out, her thoughts racing even faster than her heart, and even that she regretted as she struggled to remember how to breathe right.

Sunset’s friend seemed to take some kind of meaning from it though, and his voice was even more gentle. “Twilight, I don't know what’s wrong or what’s happened, but I have my phone on me—did you want me to call someone for you? Your parents? Or maybe Sunset? She’s still at the school and she’d be able to get here fast.”

Nothing in her world seemed to feel right at that moment. Here was someone who didn't know her, who had only met her briefly, and he was being kind and was genuinely worried about her well being, where her own friend had been biting and callous before abandoning her to the elements. She wanted nothing more than her girlfriend’s arms around her, holding her and making everything alright again, but she couldn’t have that right now, and even the option of seeking solace in her mother’s embrace was full of negative consequences she dared not risk. She was alone, and half frozen and she couldn’t breathe right, and yet here was Sunset’s friend trying to help her, with an offer meant in kindness that would only make everything go even more wrong.

In the end, it was just one thing too much, and something had to give. Her mouth opened, and sound poured out in a desperate attempt to stop the hand holding up his phone from dialing Sunset. She wasn't sure what she said, or how much of it was actually words—all she could hear was the rushing roar in her ears and the thudding pulse of her racing heart, and she only stopped when she ran out of air and found she couldn't draw in another breath. Her vision blurred as she fought to remember how to suck in air against the crushing weight on her chest.

Flash’s voice broke through the cacophony, sounding even fainter and further away than before. “Twilight, it’s okay,” she heard echoing in her ears, “but I need you to breathe with me.” The exaggerated sound of a deep breath reached her, and she tried her best to mimic it, with some success. The rushing, wind tunnel sound in her ears eased, and she managed to focus her eyes properly on him. The young man smiled encouragingly. “That’s better. Just keep doing that for a minute. I’m going to stay right here and make sure you're okay while you focus on breathing.”

It was hard, but she did as she was told, until she wasn't quite so much on the verge of passing out. Flash spoke again after a minute. “I’m going to ask a few questions. You don't have to answer with words, you can just nod yes or shake your head for no.” He was exactly where he had started from, making no move to get any closer, which was a relief. As nice as he seemed, she wasn't sure she could handle it if he had tried to come any closer or touch her right now.

Still, Twilight gave a jerky, uneven nod. Flash chuckled. “Okay, that's good—I’m not sure what I would've done if you said no.” Blue eyes studied her briefly, assessing her in the same way Shining might. “It's cold out and you're soaked—your lips are pale and turning the bad kind of blue. It's not a perfect solution, but my jacket is nice and warm and dry…if I give it to you, will you put it on?”

His…jacket? She stared blankly, first at him, then the thick winter coat he was wearing, unable to comprehend at first. When it finally registered, she gave another of those stiff nods and another hiccupping breath.

Flash never stepped closer as he took off his coat. “I’m going to come just close enough for you to be able to take it from me, is that alright? I promise I won’t get any closer than that and I’ll step back out of your space once you take it from me.” He stayed perfectly still until she nodded again, and then took one careful step towards her with the coat extended in his hands. “It's a pretty warm jacket—even Sunset thinks so. She borrowed it earlier when our friend Rainbow hauled all of us outside to show off some new moves she’d learned. Apparently leather looks cool, but it's not the most insulated thing…you know how Sunset is about her leather jackets. Telling her to give it up is like kicking a puppy or something.”

Sunset had worn it recently? The thought of that was strangely soothing as Twilight took the coat from him and fumbled with numb fingers to put it on. The warmth was immediate as she settled it around her shoulders, and the dark haired girl huddled deeper in the thick coat, chasing the heat that promised to bring back feeling to her nerves. As she did, she caught the faintest whiff of…was that Sunset’s shampoo? Even if it was just her brain looking for any port in a storm, she felt herself latch onto it.

For a minute or two they both just stood there as she soaked up the heat from the coat. He didn’t complain or even speak for most of it, instead he stood quietly and waited until both her breathing and her trembling were more under her control. “I…didn't understand all of that,” he admitted, “but from what I did get, it sounds like you’ve had a pretty rough day, and you're super stressed out from it. Is that a fair guess?”

Her hands twisted together in an attempt to dispel some of her anxious energy and she nodded at him. “….y-yes…” she managed.

“I’m sorry it's been a bad day, but even if you don't want me to call Sunset or your folks, I can't just…leave you out here like this.” Flash shuddered. “I don't know about your parents, but when Sunset found out? I could hide out in another world and she’d still find me.” When that made her lips twitch up slightly, the blue haired boy smiled at her. “See? You get it. So...I don't want to push you into anything, but…” One hand, not dissimilar in shade from Sunset’s warm amber tones, gestured to the vehicle idling by them. “…my car is warm and out of the wind and ice…would you be willing to sit there with me so we can talk about what's wrong and how I can help you at least get home without frostbite?”

Twilight hesitated, looking between him and the car. She knew what Sunset had said, what she’d implied about Flash’s moral integrity, her own fears still clamored for attention, and being alone in a car with a male she didn't really know personally was pushing the limits of what she thought she could handle…

Another wintery gust kicked up, needles of cold going through her legs. Still…it would be nice to be warm while she reorganized her thoughts and tried to get them under control.

Watching her waver, he added, “I even have a thermos of hot chocolate—Sunset and I have a friend who is this amazing cook, and she’s testing all kinds of new hot cocoa recipes on us. It's…pretty good, and it should help warm you up the rest of the way, plus my grandma always talks about how holding onto a hot cup of something is good for the soul or something…” He trailed off as a shiver went through him with another cold blast of wind.

The dark haired girl bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a stab of guilt for having taken his jacket, which was so wonderfully warm. It took effort, but Twilight mustered up the effort at something resembling a smile. Her voice came out a little stronger than before. “Did…did Sunset tell you that good chocolate is my kryptonite?”

Sunset’s friend looked inordinately pleased by her response, but shook his head. “She never said anything about it, but I’ve seen how she and the other girls devour the stuff, and I’ve been informed that ‘when in doubt, most women won't turn down free chocolate.’ I thought it might be a safe bet on how to cheer you up, maybe make your day at least a little better?”

Twilight fought down a weak laugh. “Whoever gave that advice was pretty smart—it is fairly accurate.”

“That checks out. Sunset is the smartest person I know, and it always seems to work on her.” Flash laughed. “Like yesterday, one of our friends brought this bag of chocolate coated kale chips—her mother is always on one weird fad diet or another, and insists on her taking these strange foods. I thought they smelled like someone deep fried yard clippings and rolled them in cheap chocolate, but Sunset loved them. She ate the entire bag at lunch, and was talking about hunting down more like they were the greatest snack in the whole world…”

Whether it was the odd similarity to Shining Armor’s mannerisms or the way he was content to fill the space with a running batch of anecdotes about her girlfriend that Twilight had never heard before, Twilight found herself accepting the offer to warm up in the car, fighting a giggle as the heater blasted warmth onto her legs and a thermos of hot chocolate was passed to her almost before she could blink. Flash had cheerfully segued into a new story about Sunset, and listening to this part of Sunset’s life she didn't talk much about left Twilight wanting to hear more. She certainly recognized the bright, intelligent personality in the stories as Sunset’s, but the young man telling them was painting a vibrant picture of someone who was liked by a solid circle of friends as well as respected or admired by a sizable portion of her schoolmates.

It was a completely different viewpoint from the excessively negative one bordering on paranoid that Wallflower had been espousing, and it was comforting to know that the people Sunset surrounded herself with when Twilight wasn’t with her saw the redheaded girl the same way that Twilight and her family did, regardless of how she had acted in the past.

When Flash’s story ended, she shyly reciprocated with a few short stories of her own about Sunset, mostly about some of their outings or antics in her lab, where she enjoyed Sunset’s wit, intelligence, and humor, and the older girl’s ability to not just meet her on her level but in a few cases challenge her. Her words trailed off though as she was hit with unexpected distress, and she gripped the thermos in her hands tighter.

“…I wish Sunset was my lab partner, not Wallflower…” she admitted, the words coming out before she could stop them. Working with Sunset just felt…right, and didn't leave her frustrated or hobbled with the unwanted presence of another person slowing her down.

Flash looked over, taking a drink from a soda before answering her. “…I’m not sure I got all of what you were saying before but…you mentioned someone named Wallflower and getting plant samples from the woods back by CHS? Something about a school project? Were they with you?”

She nodded, the motion jerky and uneven. “…Wallflower’s my friend from school, really my only one left there, and we don’t usually work together…but my principal assigned her to work with me, and botany is her preferred area of study…” Twilight cut herself off there—she didn’t feel up to explaining that it was really her project that Wallflower was inserting herself into in a far greater fashion than Principal Cinch had meant in making her friend her ‘assistant.’

“And so you needed actual samples for her part of the project. You guys picked a really bad day to do that—this storm is a mess!” He gestured to the sleet now coming down heavier outside the confines of the car.

Twilight made an irritable noise. “We wouldn't have had to, but Wallflower compromised the integrity of samples I had already taken with Sunset’s assistance, because she didn't follow the procedures I had gone to the trouble of writing down for her, and this was the best day this week for both of us.” She stared out the window. “She’s my friend, and she was so excited to work with me but…does it make me an awful friend for thinking I’d rather work alone than with her?”

He shook his head. “No, Twilight, it doesn't. Just because you like hanging out with someone doesn't mean you're good work partners.”

Sipping at the drink, Twilight made a soft noise, allowing Flash to continue after a brief hesitation. “…plus Sunset…told me about her impression of her…”

Purple eyes snapped sharply to him. “What? She told you about it?” Did Sunset also tell him about the fight?

“She came to me for a second opinion,” Flash explained. “The day after. She bought us food and told me about the whole meetup, about what she was feeling…she wanted to make sure she wasn’t overreacting or anything.” He looked away for a second then back. “She was upset because she said she knew it was important to you that your friends get along and she didn't want to let you down.”

Twilight winced. “…she said that?”

He made a loose gesture. “Not those exact words, but…yeah.” Flash rubbed his neck then, looking awkward. “Point is…it…says a lot to me about this Wallflower, as a person, since it sounds like she has some kind of immediate hate-on for Sunset even though they barely met. She sounds…like not the kind of person I’d want to be friends with, you know?”

She couldn't help but try and defend Wallflower a little. “…it wasn't entirely out of the blue—I didn't realize it, but…Wallflower’s talked to people who went to your school…before. When Sunset was not the person she is now, and she’s heard all kinds of bad stories….” Her shoulders slumped. “…but that doesn't make it any better, I guess, especially since I made it all worse by not listening when Sunset tried to tell me…”

The young man reached into the back and fished around in a box, before offering her one of those prepackaged brownies from the grocery store. “Don't get too upset about that, Twilight. If that's the reason Sunset is walking around in a funk, I’d say she’s past any anger and into the ‘dealing with her crap’ part of it already. Doesn't mean she hasn't been…what did AJ say? Something about a mule and a burr?” He gave her a smile. “She’ll come around soon, she just…likes to work out her emotional stuff by herself. I think it has something to do with how she grew up.”

Taking a sip of the hot chocolate—it was really good, but privately, the teen thought her mom made better—masked the frown that marred her face. Flash was probably on point with his observation, and she wondered privately how much Sunset had told him versus how much he had figured out on his own. The redhead had admitted more than once to Twilight that she didn't like talking about that part of her life to a lot of people.

“I don't like being pitied, Sparky. It's worse than people being angry at me.”

Instead of commenting on that, and risking Flash doing any digging Sunset might not appreciate, she said quietly, “…that’s why you can't call her, why I didn't call her. She asked me for space this week and I promised I’d give it to her…” Twilight couldn't look his way, hunching in on herself in guilt. “…and I can't go back on that…not after hurting her with some of the things I said.”

Flash didn't say anything for long enough that Twilight started to worry, before tapping his fingers in a light rhythm against the steering wheel. “For what it's worth, I think she’d understand in a case like this, but that's your call, Twilight.” He left the thought hanging in the air for a few heartbeats before he continued on the previous subject. “So you came out to take plant samples in the woods…and then…you fought with Wallflower? Because…she…accused Sunset of…being a drug dealer, on top of being the biggest bully of CHS? Did I hear that part right?”

The dark haired girl couldn't help the frustrated noise that escaped her. “Yes! I have no idea why, but she got it into her head that the only way I could be dealing better with my anxiety was if I was on drugs! And that somehow, Sunset had to be the one supplying me with them! That doesn't even make sense!”

The young man shook his head. “That is a big jump to make. My bandmate does a little weed at home with his brother, and when he is high or was high, we can tell. There’s a lot of little things that aren't there with you that we see with Brawly. This Wallflower ought to go into a career of writing those melodramatic TV shows with an imagination like that.”

She almost laughed, except his next words froze her blood.

“What I don't understand is why she decided to be weird about it instead of straight out asking. She had to have been super vague for you to get the impression that she’d figured out about you and Sunset dating—that’s not even remotely the same as ‘doing drugs.’”

Twilight struggled to breathe, feeling her panic coming back. Had she outed herself by accident a second time when she’d been trying to keep him from calling Sunset? Her hands shook, and with it, the thermos, threatening to send cocoa spilling everywhere.

A hand steadied the cup, careful not to touch her directly. “It’s okay, Twilight, relax. It wasn't anything I didn't already know.”

Now she stared at him. “…H-how?”

“I’m not as smart as you or Sunset, but I’m not an idiot. Back before Christmas when Sunset and I talked about—” He broke off the explanation to ask, “She…did mention we dated last summer, right?” When Twilight nodded, he kept going, “Cool. Well, we talked about why she broke up with me, and why…why it never would have worked…and she ended up telling me she had a girl she was seeing. She didn't tell me anything other than that, no name, not what school said girl went to, or even if she lived in town….though I am the only person she’s told.”

His expression turned…the word that came to mind was ‘soft.’ “When she talked about the fact that she’d met this girl, who did not know the old her and just…accepted her for who she was, her face lit up in this way I’d never seen before…and when I ran into you guys at the bookstore…it was pretty obvious when she smiled at you that you had to be the girl she’d mentioned. It was the same smile.”

“Oh…” she croaked out. “Y-you don’t—I mean—I’m—” Her hands were white knuckle tight on the thermos.

“Mind?” he finished for her. “Not at all. Honestly…I’m actually glad.” At her blank stare, he rubbed his neck. “Look…you didn't know Sunset before. Truth is, no one really did, because she didn't let anyone get close enough to see the real Sunset underneath…but I caught glimpses, when we dated. She was never happy….but you make her happy, in a way none of us can. And I’m glad she has someone who does that for her…Sunset is special, you know?”

That made Twilight’s cheeks heat up. “…I think she is,” she agreed, feeling like the conversation itself was more than a little surreal.

“See? Then you know why I’m glad…and as for you being a girl and her being a girl, I don't really care about that. Half the people I hang out with qualify as ‘not-straight.’ Sunset having a girlfriend isn't going to raise any eyebrows with me or any of our friends really. They’ll care more about if you're a good person who is good for her…and from what I can tell, you are.”

Twilight felt the pressure in her chest ease as the ice thawed in her veins. “Okay…it’s…okay.” She focused a minute on her breathing until it leveled out and the world settled on its axis.

He looked at her with sympathy. “…your friend really must have reacted badly to the news, the way you are reacting.”

A tight shake of her head confirmed his words. “She took it badly…to hear her, me becoming a sensory addled substance abuser was preferable to being a lesbian and d-dating Sunny…” She grimaced. “I…am not sure if it was the fact that I was with a girl or that I was with Sunset that set her off—she made it sound like the second, but she did just about everything other than call me a dyke.”

The young man snorted derisively. “So on top of everything else about her, it sounds like she’s a bigot too.”

Her eyes fell back to the thermos in her hands. “…she says she’s not, that she doesn't care, but…it's just hard to believe when she relied on the same crude slang that bigoted people use to dehumanize people like me.”

Flash tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wheel—it seemed like an unconscious habit—and asked, “Why exactly are you friends with her? She…doesn’t really seem all that likable, or a good friend.”

“I…she’s usually not like this,” Twilight explained. “Normally, she’s a lot more relaxed and shy, but I don't know…something about Sunset…”

“Or her assumptions about Sunset,” Flash interjected.

She nodded. “Or that…has her really on edge where she's not acting like herself.”

He gestured at her. “Is that why you look like you got in a fight? She…shove you or something?”

Twilight frowned. “…I don't know.” At his confused expression, she explained what she could remember of the incident as best she could, about them splitting up to gather samples, about her searching for indicators related to her own project. “…and the next thing I know, I’m opening my eyes on the ground, and my head feels weird. Not really hurting, but…not right either. Like I was searching for a word that was on the tip of my tongue? Wallflower was next to me looking upset—worried-upset—and said I’d made a sound and that made her come check on me, only to find I’d…collapsed somehow.” She frowned. “I was thinking I must have tripped on a rock or stepped in a hole, since the whole area was churned up and uneven.”

Skepticism colored his tone. “That seems kind of suspicious, Twilight. You said you were near the path, right?” When she nodded, his frown deepened. “We all use that path, because CHS has a lousy student lot, and our VP goes on about how we’re not allowed to park in the faculty lot. That area has rocks and sticks and leaves, but it's never been what I’d call ‘churned up’ or ‘uneven.’ Just the opposite. It's usually kept fairly clear….” His fingers drummed out a pattern again. “You guys were there to gather samples…do you have them? I’m guessing you have proper stuff to do that and a way you'd go about it, with how smart Sunset says you are.”

His words stopped the argument forming on her lips—she knew what she saw, after all—and she immediately moved to verify his question. “I’m assuming I do have them stored where I—“ Twilight stopped, her hand in the pockets of her hoodie finding none of what she expected. “…I only have empty sample bags. All of the tools I use to collect them are missing, even my gloves.” Her brows furrowed. “That suggests I had begun the procedure to do so, but was interrupted from completing it. Why don't I remember that?”

Flash rubbed his neck. “I…I think you were pushed, Twilight. Maybe it was just a little shove that turned a lot bigger if you stumbled over a rock, but…you really do look like you got into a fight and were rolling around in the mud. You're missing time…you said your head feels weird…and you've just spent ten minutes talking about how unpleasant and upset Wallflower was at your accidental reveal…”

She bit her lip—surely Wallflower hadn't been that angry over the whole thing, had she? The other girl wasn't prone to violent outbursts, as far as Twilight knew…but a small part of her reminded her that homosexuality often brought out the worst in people for some reason she could never understand. “My head does…feel achy and muzzy, reminiscent of how Sunset described her headache after the dodgeball accident….but that doesn't mean Wallflower…attacked me. I just can't see her doing that.”

“Maybe she didn't. Or maybe it wasn't a full on attack, just something like a small shove or a bit of rough shoulder checking, but…you don't look like that,” he gestured at her, “from tripping and landing on your ass in an icy mud puddle. And if she pushed a little too hard, and you hit your head when you fell or slipped or whatever, then you might have some kind of concussion.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over Twilight as she nodded. She really just wanted to go home and take a shower and…relax. “I can't see her attacking me…but I cannot say your hypothesis is without merit. I certainly have no hard proof to refute it….but I can't say I’m happy with the idea at all…”

Flash gave her a sympathetic look. “Believe me, I get it. This is someone you thought was a friend, and the idea that they could be capable of that kind of betrayal is hard….I’ve been there. Took me a long time to accept it, and even longer to forgive. And if she did push you, it might not have been with the intent to hurt you—that might even be why she bailed. If she shoved a little, lashing out, and it snowballed out of control, maybe she panicked? It doesn't make it right, but…I dunno. I just get this feeling you didn't just fall, Twilight. Maybe don't jump to conclusions, but…don't dismiss it without investigating either?”

“I won't,” she agreed, leaning her head back and blinking back a few tears that stung the corners of her eyes. It was just too much on top of everything else to think that Wallflower might have been responsible for injuring her. “…this is…this has not been a good week so far.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry to dump that on you—it's a crap situation and you probably don't need any more stress—I hear CPA is already bad enough for that. I wish I could help more, you know?” Tap-tap-tappity-tap went his fingers. “At this point, about all I can offer is a hug. I know I’m not Sunset, and you don't really know me, but…you just look like you need one.”

Twilight shifted awkwardly. “…I do really just want one of Sunset’s hugs right now…her hugs are like nothing else in the world, and they make me feel like nothing can get to me…”

“It's a Sunset thing—I always liked her hugs when we were dating, and I found out recently they're still great.” Blue eyes danced with mirth. “It's like she’s such a force of personality that she gives some of it away in her hugs….”

The dark haired girl couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. “…yes, that! And…she always smells like sunshine and green and warm leather and it's like holding onto summer, somehow…”. She blinked back some more tears, this time for a very different reason; the ache for Sunset’s presence and touch almost undid her.

Flash was quiet for a minute. “You know, she hugged me earlier today when she gave me my coat back. Maybe instead of a hug from me, I could pass along this Sunset hug? It's not as good as her being here to hug you, but…”

A tearful laugh escaped her. “…if…you're holding a Sunset-hug hostage…I would very much like it released to where it belongs,” Twilight tried to joke. “It's probably missing the rest of the hug-herd.”

Something about that made him burst into hearty laughter, even as he held one arm out to her for a quick around the shoulders hug. “Run free, little Sunset-hug, your herd missed you!”

Twilight’s giggles were more a sound of relief, and something in the brief gesture made her feel better, almost as if there had been some lingering bit of her girlfriend in the light pressure around her shoulders.

“Better?” Flash asked when her giggle-fit ended. She nodded and he smiled. “Good. Now…back to your problem…there's really only one thing you have to solve right now.” He motioned out the window. “And that's you being stuck out in this weather, a few miles from home. Everything else can wait, until you have a chance to think or get some advice, or do some digging.”

She blinked, and realized that he had a good point. Whatever had happened—or not happened—in the woods, even her accidentally outing herself to Wallflower…it was something she could reexamine after she was clean and warm and dry and at home. Twilight let out a heavy sigh, feeling some of the weight come off her. “You are…correct. I was so upset that I had not considered breaking the situation into many parts and dealing with them separately.”

“Trust me, Twilight, it happens, and getting that outside perspective can help.” He drummed out that pattern on his steering wheel again. “As I see it right now, you said you don't want to break your word to give Sunset some space, and you didn't seem like you wanted to call your folks…”

A shiver went through her. “If I called them, they’d want to know what happened. And…” Twilight grimaced. “They would come get me, but…I’m not out at home yet, and after what happened earlier, and with you figuring it out …I’m…I can’t. Not today.”

He made a noise of understanding. “It’s hard and it's a big deal, even if you don't think it’ll go bad. It sucks and it's not fair, but what can you do?”

Twilight stared. “…no one has ever…just gotten it like that. How…?”

“You and Sunset aren't the only couple I know, Twilight. I’ve got friends who are going through what you're going through, and I listen when they talk too. It's not that hard to understand, even if I don't have to do it myself.” He shrugged. “So how about we keep all that drama from happening, and I just give you a ride home? Saves you a walk, you'll stay warm the whole way, and I avoid a date with Sunset’s steel-toed size ten.”

“…you…you would do that?” Twilight fidgeted. “It's not…out of your way?”

Flash gave an easy shrug. “Sure. I dropped Sunset over at your place that day she got hit in the head, and I don't work tonight, so I've got time. Not exactly looking to go home just yet, since I’m kind of having a fight with my folks.” One hand ran through his hair. “I know you don't know me too well. Since this is really the first time we talked, but…Sunset’s one of my best friends, and you are more than just her best friend…and I guess I was just thinking maybe we could be friends too? If you don't think that sounds weird?”

For the third time in only a few minutes, Twilight had to blink rapidly to avoid tears. This was what she’d hoped to happen between Sunset and Wallflower, instead of the animosity that had sparked between them. “…I…think I would like that…” she said softly, looking out the window so he wouldn't see how the words had gotten to her. “…It…would be nice…when I’m finally ready to meet the rest of Sunset’s friends…to know that I already have a friend along them.”

Poor Twilight. Betrayal hits really hard the first time it happens, and you spend a lot of time confused and upset and in denial.

But...at least Flash made sure she didn't catch her death from cold.

He's a good guy. Also he's right. Sunset would plant her boot right up his ass if he left Twilight in that state without at least calling Sunset herself.

And look, he and Twilight bonded over Sunset stories! (I feel like this is the beginning of a silly friendship, where they swap stories about bizarre shit the unicorn in their lives does, possibly while watching stupid action films. ...Twilight strikes me as the type to secretly enjoy watching bad movies because its funny somehow.)

Twilight's stress levels are rising....and now she's got one more thing on her plate: her collapsing friendship with Wallflower. Not a good month for her.